


Dear old world, you are very lovely and I'm glad to be alive in you

by serendipitous_rambles



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, Kissing in the Rain, that old cliche
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 14:12:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15642372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipitous_rambles/pseuds/serendipitous_rambles
Summary: "Is there anything so lovely as the rain in Avonlea?”Anne loves the August rain, and would gladly lie there for hours as it pours. And that's how Gilbert finds her.





	Dear old world, you are very lovely and I'm glad to be alive in you

Anne closed her eyes and felt the drops of rain slowly hit her bare face. At that moment she believed there was nothing more lovely than the rain in August. The heat combined with the cold, gentle patter of rain was oddly refreshing. 

August rain was nothing like the rain in winter. In winter, the rain was cold and harsh. The wind caused the rain to pelt into your face like tiny, ice cold bullets. But the rain in August...it was somehow softer, gentler.

 

She'd been walking back from running an errand for Marilla but the clouds had turned an ominous grey and rain had begun falling. Instead of running to find shelter, she began laughing to herself in pure joy. It was strangely liberating to twirl around in the empty fields, arms outstretched as if she were mid recital of one of her beloved poems or stories.

 

All concerns about her state of dress were pushed to the back of her mind as she fell to the ground. Marilla will surely have a conniption at the state of Anne when she returned, all wet and covered in grass and mud stains. But for now, Anne simply held her palms out to the sky as if she could somehow catch the rain, and lay on her back in the grassy field.

 

That was how Gilbert found her. He was on his way into town but stopped when he saw Anne laughing and dancing in the rain. He had an old umbrella he'd found in the barn, but Anne didn't even have a hat. 

 

He saw her laugh and fall to the ground in a dreamy daze, and slowly began walking towards her.

 

“Dear old world,” he heard her sigh, waving her hands gently in the air l like blades of grass in the wind. “You are very lovely, and I'm glad to be alive in you.”

 

“Anne Shirley Cuthbert.” He stood over her, and she opened an eye when the feel of the rain had been interrupted by his umbrella. “What are you doing?”

 

“Enjoying the rain. Is there anything so lovely as the rain in Avonlea?” 

 

Gilbert looked up at the rain, it fell into his eyes and he wiped a hand across them. He looked back down at Anne, she seemed so at peace. How?

 

“You'll catch your death. Come on, let's get out of here.”

 

But she shook her head, “If I die, I'll have the most beautiful funeral. With wildflowers and ribbons. Diana will recite beautiful poetry as my body is sent peacefully out to sea in a handcrafted boat. And everyone will say there never was a day more tragic than the one they lost dear Anne of Green Gables.”

 

Gilbert almost laughed to himself in awe. She could even make death seem so romantic.

 

“Gil, sit.” She tugged at his ankle, above his boots.

 

“Anne it's ridiculous.”

 

“But there's scope for the imagination here.”

 

He hesitated. “There's not much scope for the imagination when you're cooped up in bed with a fever.”

 

“Sure there is.” She sat up, her braids had become loose and the rain had turned her hair to waves. “You have ever so much time to simply think about stories and imagine you're somewhere else instead. Now sit down, Gilbert Blythe.”

 

He sighed and resigned to closing his umbrella, letting the cool rain completely envelope him. He sat on the grass next to her, holding a hand up to the sky himself to catch the water droplets. She was right, it was oddly calming.

 

“It's moments like these that make me glad to be alive.” She turned her head away from the sky to look at Gilbert. His hair was sticking to his forehead where he'd removed his hat. He was looking up at the sky, and she secretly admired his profile. She'd never really thought about it before, but he was handsome. But it was seeing him like this that made her realise it.

 

He was silent, but calm. Like all his troubles had left him for a moment, giving him a few minutes of peace from the weight of the world. A little smile grew across his face, and his eyes crinkled. It was so genuine, so real. Ruby always said he looked most handsome when he was sad, but Anne couldn't disagree more. 

 

He was most handsome when he was happy, when his mind was free and he seemed like he had no trouble in the world. He was just himself. And _ that _ was the Gilbert she thought was handsome. 

 

He finally looked at her, the smile still alive on his face. “ _ Any _ day spent with you makes me glad.”

 

“Because we've become such good friends?” She didn't know why but his comment made her heart quicken and her stomach feel all tingly, like butterflies had nested there.

 

His smile changed, more forced almost. Like he was disappointed in her question. “Yes, good friends.”

 

But his gaze dropped ever so slightly, to her nose...to her lips briefly, and then back to her eyes.

 

She found herself speechless, a first surely, when she took in the proximity of their faces. At some point they'd moved closer to each other.

 

The rain was still pouring, getting heavier, but neither seemed to notice. For the moment it was just them.

 

And suddenly Anne couldn't think of a reason why she should move away from him. Marilla would lecture her about propriety, but what Marilla didn't know wouldn't kill her. And Marilla was young once too, as hard to believe as that was. 

She remembered that awful day when she'd been forced to play spin the bottle. The boys laughed and acted repulsed at the idea of kissing Anne. But Gilbert was here, he was willingly sitting close to her. His eyes roaming her face steadily. She'd read about these moments in stories, where there was a hidden force pulling the two characters together in an uncontrolled moment.

 

_ “If I wanted to kiss a boy, couldn't I just kiss him?” _ Her words from last year echoing in her mind. Why couldn't she? Why must she be the one to wait for him? 

 

So she closed her eyes and leaned forward. But Gilbert seemed to meet her in the middle. His hand cupped her cheek, as the rain continued to pour.  Neither noticed.

 

It was everything Anne had thought it would be. Gentle, but also sparks like lightning seemed to bolt to her chest. Like the electricity she'd learned about from Miss Stacy. Except it was more. She could feel his smile pressed against hers, and it was as if the rest of the world melted away. 

 

They finally broke apart, cheeks flushed. The rain was heavier now, and Gilbert brushed the hair that had stuck to Anne's face. Her braids had completely fell apart from the water. But he wasn't one to judge, because he could barely open his eyes from the rain pooling off his curls.

 

“I think we should get some shelter.” He laughed and Anne agreed, jumping up.

 

He grabbed her by the hand and they made their way through the trees. Gilbert smiled over his shoulder as they ran, a boyish, confident charm about him. Anne finally decided that  _ this  _ was indeed the most handsome Gilbert looked. Cheeks flushed from her kiss, a sweet smile on his face, pure and romantic joy. Truly she was glad to alive in this lovely old world.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is based off a little series on YouTube by Shipwrecked comedy and basically it's a mini series (episodes are like 3 mins long each) of two actors who always end up working together on a movie where they end up kissing in the rain (but the actors actually can't stand each other). 
> 
> It's called kissing in the rain and I really recommend watching because it's cute and funny and one of the episodes is the two characters playing Gilbert and Anne. I rewatched them and got the idea for this little one shot. So yeah, check it out if you get a chance because I think it's great.
> 
> Here's a link to the episode this was inspired by:
> 
> https://youtu.be/Va1_vjUBkBo
> 
> And here's a link to the series:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs2T_dNZ-XW7q7eqkRL1VXBiyaC_5VXRW


End file.
